KDs are designed/developed/inspired/mused/auto-suggested/indigested to make folks think; an especially uncommon experience among Democrats, Republicans, and jingoistic mainline denominationalists who continue to discourage dissent with their ever-threatening thought police.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Detour or Deepening?

As noted in the
last edition, Scratching
the Surface will dominate KDs for the next six months or so; but there will be an
occasional detour as inspired/indigested.

This is one of
'em.

Watch for Scratching the Surface of Genesis in the next edition!

@#$%

Anyway, I just
got back from presiding at a nuptial in a sanctuary of God's creative beauty -
St. Augustine Beach, Florida.

Parenthetically, I am often reminded how the Bible often reminds us that
our Lord's presence is not restricted to space or time; and
whenever/wherever His people gather in His name for worship, holy communion
occurs.

Of course, we
know people are into their little Babels, icons, idols, and...religion about
Him even more than relationship with Him.

Psst.

Go back to the
preface of Scratching
the Surface (right column).

Really, how we
ever came up with so much of our religious stuff about Him that blurs/distracts
from a relationship with Him is beyond me; and as you've read in the preface,
that's why I feel like I'm just Scratching the Surface. Increasingly,
I'm leaving religion about Jesus for a relationship with Him as I try to be an
authentic undershepherd
leading people away, uh, from religion about Him to a relationship with Him.

Or something like
that.

Be that as it is, the
wedding was wonderfully authentic and His presence graced the announcement of
what He has done and will do for Alissa and Brandon.

@#$%

While immersed in
praise to God for His providence in the marriage of Alissa and Brandon, I had
three other inspirations/indigestions.

You can decide if
they were detours or deepenings.

@#$%

First, I went to
Osteen's.

Like bikers will
tell you about the ride to freedom, there's no way for me to explain if
you don't know.

Kinda like a
relationship with Jesus over religion about Him.

Well, recalling how I often went there with a "covenant"
group, I lamented briefly about the broken "covenant" related
to Romans 12:3,10 and James 4 kinda stuff; and I grew inflamed
over hypocrites in Christian clothing who say how much they love
Jesus while they separate and segregate themselves from other hypocrites
in Christian clothing who say how much they...

People who
say they love Jesus by distancing and divorcing themselves from other people
who say they love Jesus have no credibility to stand up in their churches on
Sunday mornings to pontificate like posers on how people can get
together through Jesus when they don't.

Psst.

Lots of 'em wear
those silly vestments to cover up who they really...

Metaphor.

Hmm.

Didn't Jesus say
something about that/them?

It's like my wife
says when she wants to capture my attention, "Why don't you practice what
you...?"

@#$%

Second, I called
the franchise church in the old city about Sunday worship and got a recording
about their services at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.

We arrived at 7:45
a.m. to discover the recording hadn't been changed to account for only one
summer service at 10:00 am.

So we went down
the street to another franchise church and worshipped.

Divine
appointment.

The preacher, the
senior's associate, uh, preached on God's creating everyone in His image a la
Genesis 1.

What really,
really, really got to me in a Scratching the Surface kinda way was
his simple specificity: "God doesn't see tall or short or black or white
or brown or red or yellow or skinny or overweight or Democrat or
Republican or Methodist or...All He sees is relatives in His family...Everyone
loved as much as and no more than..."

I needed that
confirmation/challenge/castigation after going to Osteen's and reading reports
of my denomination's latest meeting and watching Obama/Romney hate/meanspirited
ads and...

@#$%

Third, as I left
the other franchise church and felt as close to God as I've ever felt
anywhere with anyone at anytime and savored the wedding in a sanctuary of God's
creative beauty on St. Augustine Beach and felt as close to God as I've ever
felt anywhere with anyone at anytime, I recalled my second homiletics professor
and dissertation advisor's movement from religion about Jesus to relationship
with Jesus not long after he retired from the religion about Jesus over
relationship with Jesus institutional gig.

I'll never forget
how he invited me to worship with him at an "emerging" church on
Nassau Street.

He said he
started going there on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings because he wanted
something...

If I have to
complete that sentence for you, you wouldn't understand anyway.